This has been a crazy week at work and thus....my time for blogging, visiting and sharing has been at a minimum. When we get home and the focus is on Aja, prepping dinner, maybe walking in the park and reading.
We have taken some great rides on the trike this past weekend, and I want to share photos about that, but first...let me share this amazing salad. Then I will post about our jaunts to St George Island and a local bakery in Monticello Florida.
The Curtis Stone recipes we have tried so far have been great. Only one screw up (that was a roast pork dinner that was tossed for the foxes) but the other recipes - delicious! This particular salad we have had a few times. As you can see from the photo above we served it with a seared scallops, fresh bread and a cold Rose. Definitely a keeper.
I have a notebook with places we have visited, meals enjoyed and movies watched lately, all of which I would love to share soon. Finally updated my book site and will forge ahead here to catch up with everyone.
So...here is the recipe for this fantastic salad. Not for vegetarians because the bacon (and tomatoes cooked in bacon) are stars of this salad.
Baby Spinach Salad with Crispy Bacon and Cherry Tomatoes
To make the vinaigrette:
Place the vinegar in a medium bowl. Slowly add the oil while constantly whisking to blend. Season the vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper.
To prepare the salad:
Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, or until nice and crisp. Transfer the bacon to paper towels.
In a large bowl, toss the spinach leaves, tomatoes, and pine nuts with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad to taste with salt and pepper.
Divide the salad among 4 serving plates. Place the bacon over the salads and serve.
Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
6 tablespoons grapeseed oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
8 bacon slices
8 cups fresh baby spinach, stemmed
12 cherry tomatoes, halved (I used almost double that amount)
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted (I did not add pine nuts)
If anyone else made soup, sandwiches or salads don't forget Deb in Hawaii has a linkup for her Souper Sunday. HERE is this week's link, you don't have to post on Sunday.
Also linking up to I ♥ Cooking Club, Deb at Kahakai Kitchen for her Souper Sunday and with Beth Fish's Weekend Cooking Series.
That recipe for the vinaigrette has my mouth watering! It looks so yummy - plus how can I resist crispy bacon? I'm so glad the Curtis Stone recipes have been so successful. You have me wanting to hunt down his cookbooks and try them all out!
ReplyDeleteKatherine, we have made so many of his recipes and they are great!
ReplyDeleteLook like a delicious salad for sure (the bacon is even tempting my veggie self!). I am all for salad for breakfast/brunch. ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing it (and plugging!) Souper Sundays this week too.
I don't normally have salad for breakfast, but the crispy bacon might be the game changer! It all looked good, with the scallops, bread and rose.
ReplyDeleteI bought a Curtis Stone book on your recommendation but haven't cooked from it ... Okay, gonna fix that.
ReplyDeleteThat salad looks awesome. And I just happen to have some bacon to use up. :)
Delicious looking salad! Bacon in a salad, what's not to love! :)
ReplyDeleteYum! I love salads like that. My favorite lunch place has a salad with spinach (some of the leaves are raw and others "flash-fried), freshly grilled tenderloin tips, roast red pepper, and cheese that is partially melted because of all the warm ingredients.
ReplyDeleteI would probably use kale as we have become big lovers of it in salad. Tomatoes are my favourite thing!!
ReplyDeleteYum yum - bacon & spinach - a winner. Cheers from Carole's Chatter!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds delicious, but I'm definitely going to include the pine nuts when I try the recipe, because I love pine nuts! We have been eating salads for almost every meal lately, and I wouldn't mind salad for breakfast in the morning, too.
ReplyDeleteAll my favourite ingredients in one dish, but I would prefer this for lunch.
ReplyDeleteThat's a gorgeous salad! And so interesting that raspberry vinegar is used. I could eat that any time of day.
ReplyDeleteI hope your life slows down a bit soon. This salad does look good. I am glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteRaspberry vinegar in the vinaigrette sounds exotic. This must be a really good salad.
ReplyDeleteYou are right on not having to say to much when the food speaks for itself. The dressing tops it all!
ReplyDeleteMy husband would love this salad, I'm going to making this all summer long.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you can ever go wrong with bacon or anything cooked in bacon drippings. Have to try this one soon.
ReplyDeleteI gotta say I am totally smitten with Curtis Stone's recipes. They are all so approachable and easy to make, for the most part. This salad has caught my eye several times for the exact reason you mentioned...how can you go wrong with it? Yum!
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